Kirk here with an article that includes some good information on spots to enjoy nature in Kumamoto.
2022-06-30 09:19 JST 2022 Kirk here with an article that includes some good information on spots to enjoy nature in Kumamoto. 5 Spots to Experience the Outdoors in Japan’s Northern KyushuNorthern Kyushu is a perfect destination to combine hiking with Japanese cultural experiences. https://blog.gaijinpot.com/5-spots-to-experience-the-outdoor … ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 22 · Comments: 2 · Shares: 3 ← 2022-06-29 15:20 JST 2022-06-30 23:07 JST → Around this time … 2022-07-03 13:54 JSTWilliam A bit more about springs and where to find them: The Kashima Spring Park Natural Pool (Kashima-chō yūsuikōen ten'nen pūru, 嘉島町湧水公園 天然プール) is a wonderful place to bring the kids. It consists of a conventional spring-fed pool and a natural area for exploring. Admission is free, but parking is ￥500. Their website https://www.mlit.go.jp/tochimizushigen/mizsei/mizusato/shichoson/kyushu/kashima.htm indicates they are open this year; a confirmation call is recommended. 096-237-2619 2022-07-03 13:29 JSTHi Atsuko here with Yahoo typhoon forecast.It is often said that we should be cautious when typhoons pass Nagasaki, west of Kumamoto. This time it looks like it will go first to Nagasaki and then across to Kyushu!Although the rainy season has ended, torrential rains often occur in early July every year, so please be careful!∠( ˙-˙ )／ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーTyphoon No. 4 was located about 170 km west-northwest of Okinoerabu Island as of noon on Sunday,the 3rd, and is moving north-northwest at 10 km per hour.The central pressure is 996 hectopascals, the maximum wind speed near the center is 18 meters, and the maximum instantaneous wind speed is 25 meters.The typhoon will move northward over the East China Sea, gradually changing its path to the east, and may come very close to Kyushu and make landfall on Tuesday, the 5th.There is a risk of very heavy rainfall and heavy rain in the Okinawa area on the 3rd, and in the southern and Amami areas of Kyushu, the northern Kyushu area, and the Shikoku area on the 5th. Please be on the lookout for landslides, flooding of low-lying areas, and swollen or overflowing rivers.Also, please be careful of high waves and strong winds in the Okinawa and Amami regions on the 3rd台風4号（2022年）の進路予想 台風情報 - Yahoo!天気・災害 2022-07-02 13:25 JSTWilliam Typhoon update: its center has been moving southward, currently expected to pass over Sasebo. However, it is more of a tropical storm so will likely result in a welcome breeze and showers.My go-to website for typhoons is the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, run by the US Navy, which has a vested concern in windy, watery-type phenomenon. https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html 2022-07-01 17:12 JSTWilliam Kumanichi updates us on Tateno Dam, which, at its current height of 40 meters (its final height will be 87 meters), is said to resemble a fortress. About half done now, it is scheduled to be completed in April 2023.What I didn't know is that the dam is to a "running water type." This means that the three apertures, each 5m², have no covers - they remain open - such that the reservoir does not store water under normal conditions. Should heavy downpours result in a flow exceeding the rate of the apertures, the dam will hold the water and release it gradually, thus preventing flooding downstream. Neat, eh?Article and more photos at the link:立野ダム巨大な〝要塞〟 渓谷にそびえる壁、高さ87メートルに 2023年4月完成予定｜熊本日日新聞社 2022-06-30 23:07 JSTWilliam A bit more about springs and where to find them: if you've found Kakibaru (柿原), which we wrote about the other day, you're in a good place for a walk. Leave your car and follow a small road up a gentle hill which is now, sadly, shadowed by the elevated four lanes of Ueki Bypass, to eventually connect via the Kumamoto Nishi Kanjyo Sen (熊本西環状線, a ring road to the west of Kumamoto and on to Amakusa). After a short, pleasant walk, you'll come across Narudo-ji Temple (成道寺). This temple has a very long history; the land is said to have been donated by Kikuchi Mochicho in 1426, though the temple declined along with the fortunes of the Kikuchi clan. However, Kiyomasa and Hosokawa made large donations which allowed the shrine to thrive again as the Bodhisattva temple of Kumamoto domain's old Sawamura family, who were famous enough to deserve a temple but not so famous for me to write about them and not so famous that you'd care. Many bodhisattva statues and grave markers dot the overgrown grounds, making for interesting photography.The temple has a gorgeous spring-fed pond surrounded by lush forest and numerous stone graves of the Sawamura family. Due to its religious nature, swimming is not recommended unless no one is around; however, you can cool your feet while admiring the scenery, and the temperature in summer is usually 5°C lower than the city.A link to a Kumamoto City intro to the temple including a map: https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kankyo/hpkiji/pub/detail.aspx?c_id=5&id=20587&e_id=50%2C51%2C52%2C53%2C54%2C55 2022-06-30 09:19 JSTKirk here with an article that includes some good …5 Spots to Experience the Outdoors in Japan’s Northern Kyushu (this post) 2022-06-29 15:20 JSTHi! Kirk Here. I thought I had posted the following to the page yesterday but wound up posting as myself (which put it with the "Guest" posts). William has already announced basically the same news but here's my version:"Kirk here. The rainy season seems to have been declared 'over' in Kumamoto already. This is the earliest on record. It's good if you don't like getting rained on by not so good if you don't like the heat. In other heat-related news, a high school student visiting Greenland lost consciousness from apparent heatstroke but has since regained consciousness. Hope she'll be OK."https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220628_35/?fbclid=IwAR1_qM6Aavqlp9BHHzu_FYWsfJ6dHSMoecoBKWh_zVk91nGRwE84kR6JYrIJapan hit by scorching heat as rainy season appears over | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News 2022-06-29 12:49 JSTWilliam Kumanichi announces that this year's rainy season, at 17 days, was the shortest on record. This has pleased some, such as farmers eager to get their summer crops in early, but has dismayed others, such as a woman who runs a coin laundry shop (drier use has evaporated). Beer garden operators are also happy.All Kumamoto drinking water is artesian (unique in the world), but farmers rely on irrigation. Fortunately, the Prefectural Water Department says that water levels at all six dams feeding Kumamoto farmers are at normal levels. Summer thunderstorms may also help.観測史上最短の梅雨、夏場の水不足は… 熊本県内 一足早い夏空に歓迎の声も｜熊本日日新聞社 2022-06-28 16:29 JSTWilliam I was never a fan of Parco: the maze of merchandise with no windows, low ceilings, and tiny elevator struck me as a fire deathtrap. Kumanichi announces its replacement (11 floors above ground, 1 below, with the 3rd-11th hotel space) using amusing phrases. Its official name is a mouthful: "OMO5 Kumamoto by Hoshino Resort," with OMO5 pronounced "omo faibu" 「OMO5（おもふぁいぶ）熊本 by 星野リゾート」. The article also mentions, "OMO is the first in Kyushu to be positioned as a 'city hotel that raises the tension of travel'" (OMOは「旅のテンションをあげる都市ホテル」との位置付けで九州では初めて。) Two thoughts: whichever employee came up with that phrase should be fired, and the company should change its name to OMG. Still, it's gotta be better than Parko.Link to Kumanichi article and photo:熊本パルコ跡地の新ホテルは「OMO5」 星野リゾート、23年春に開業｜熊本日日新聞社 2022-06-28 08:45 JSTWilliam with a quick quake update. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (which oversees earthquakes, too), an earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of M5 or stronger may occur within a week of Sunday's quake.They said that the earthquake on the 26th occurred on the Takano-Shirahata (高野－白旗区間) and Hinagu (日奈久区間) sections of the Hinagu fault zone (日奈久断層帯), as can be seen on the map below, and noted that there have been consecutive earthquakes in this area in the past within short periods of time.The mainshock of the Kumamoto earthquakes in April 2016 occurred about 28 hours after the foreshock, with the epicenter around the Futagawa fault zone, which is in contact with the Hinagu fault zone. In 1931, there were three M5.5 - 5. 8 quakes in the Amakusa / Ashikita region within five days.Also, they indicated a probability over 3% of an M7.5 quake in the Hinagu section within 30 years.Kumanichi: https://kumanichi.com/articles/705309 The blue lines indicate fault sections which ruptured in the '16 quakes; red, those not yet ruptured. 2022-06-27 11:45 JSTKirk here. The other day, the Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri came up in a conversation with some students. That prompted me to search for what might be available on the internet. I was pleasantly surprised to find this detailed article in English. I didn't realize that Ushibuka Haiya-Bushi had spread all over Japan.The festival is in April. I hope to be able to post a heads up a few weeks in advance but no promises. If you're interested, mark your calendar and start checking for information in March. And, if you don't mind, post a little reminder to the page. ;)http://ushibuka-haiya.com/history/?lang=en
